Kerala’s Assembly passed a unanimous resolution on Thursday demanding the repeal of the three contentious agricultural laws enacted by the Center in September.
The resolution presented by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was approved by voice and all 140 MLA supported it. Significantly, the only BJP member in the House, O Rajagopal, also voted in favor of the resolution although he had spoken out against it.
“I supported the substance of the resolution in accordance with the democratic spirit, but I had differences of opinion with certain words used in the resolution, which I pointed out during my speech,” said Rajagopal, the MLA of Nemom.
When reporters pointed to the conflict of interest it faces as a BJP MLA endorsing a resolution calling for repeal of farm laws, it vaguely responded: “There would be no problems. In a democratic system, some compromises will have to be made. “
The Chief Minister, in his speech to the Assembly, said that the solution to intermediaries who cheat farmers is decentralization of the storage system, not corporatization.
“The Center wants to corporatize the system. Farmers are agitated due to livelihood problems. The Government of India has a responsibility to fully engage in discussions with them. Instead of asking the farmers to end their protest, the Center should step up and try to allay their concerns through talks, ”said Vijayan.
“According to today’s newspapers, it seems that the Center has made some promises during the talks like energy subsidies, fines for stubble cultivation. But the central issue remains the repeal of the three laws. The protesters are firm in that and that is the country’s need. So the real concerns of the farmers have yet to be resolved. The Center should not see this as a matter of honor. Instead, as a protest that has drawn support from across the country, the Center must acknowledge public sentiment and take steps to repeal the laws, “he added.
The Chief Minister noted that Kerala is the first state in the country to declare a “base price” for 16 varieties of vegetables, as a measure to support farmers and encourage them to increase their production. He said that the state also spent Rs 8,900 crore on the ‘Subhiksha Keralam’ project under the aegis of various local rural and urban bodies with the aim of achieving self-sufficiency by converting wastelands into farms.
Kerala Congress leader PJ Joseph said the state should speak with one voice against the Center’s “invasion” of state rights, as agriculture is a state issue.
“Just as the farmers of North India are agitating during the harsh winter, the people of Kerala must make strong protests. (The laws) are aimed at destroying the state’s public distribution system. There should be a minimum price support for all the varieties that Kerala produces, such as rubber, coconut, cinnamon and turmeric, ”he said.
At the same time, the main opposition Congress, while criticizing the agricultural laws, also criticized the LDF government for trying to appease the governor even when it had “violated” constitutional laws by denying permission for a special session of the Assembly on December 23th .
“When the governor broke his constitutional obligations (to approve the state cabinet’s decision to convene an Assembly session to discuss agricultural laws), there should have been strong protests. Instead, the government sent two of its ministers with a Christmas cake to the Raj Bhavan, falling at the governor’s feet, to appease him. It was necessary? Senior Congress MLA KC Joseph said.
To which the CM responded: “It is the government’s constitutional obligation to inform the Governor on key issues about which it may have doubts. It doesn’t have to look like a fall at the governor’s feet. KC Joseph has a good understanding of constitutionality. I don’t understand why he said it. ”
IUML MLA TA Ahmed Kabeer said the Center’s agricultural laws will bring India into the British era.
“This BJP government is an insult to the country. There must be a line in the resolution against the ingratitude that the Prime Minister is showing to the country, its people and its farmers, ”he said.
BJP MLA Rajagopal spoke out against the resolution, stating that the farm laws are intended to benefit farmers in the long term. “By eliminating intermediaries and commission agents, the laws will allow farmers to sell their products anywhere. Those who oppose these laws oppose the interests of farmers. The provisions of these laws have been cited by Congress in its manifesto and by the CPM in its resolutions. Farm laws aim to double farmers’ profits. Some people think that they will get satisfaction just by criticizing Modi. Let it be so, ”he said.
After approving the resolution, the Assembly concluded sine-die.
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